Ashes
by Caiden013
Summary: Alan watched as his home town of Oakvale was turned to ash. He has sworn vengeance on those that took his family and looks to become a hero. This is a re telling of Fable. There will be many differences from the game but it will still follow a similar story. M for language, violence, and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

So this fic is going to be the story of the hero of Oakvale. But it is not a simple re telling of the events of the game. There will be A LOT of differences between the game and my story. I will cover the major events of the game but they will most likely be very different. So I hope you all enjoy and please give me some feedback

"Normal speech"

_"Thinking"_

**Disclaimer: I do not own fable.**

* * *

All stories have a beginning and this one begins with a dream. A small boy stands in a world of nothing. all he can see is never ending white. Then, in the distance, he sees two figures. He knows both of them. The boy soon realizes that both figures are him. they look exactly like him, but suddenly they begin to grow. They grow taller and age. Ones hair turns blond, he wears a white robe and great, clean, golden sword. He has the look of a good person. The other loses his hair. Horns grow out of his skull, and he is surrounded by a dark aura. His wears black armor with a dark sword tainted with the blood of many innocent.

Both hold out their hands, beckoning the boy to come to one of them. forcing him to chose who to go with. The white world behind the man of good turns into a bright world. People are happy, but the man is burdened. He has grow tired from carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Behind the man of evil there was a world of fire and misery. But the man is powerful. All follow him and do whatever pleases him. It is out of fear, but it makes no difference the a man how holds the world in the palm of his hand. The boy takes a last look and prepares to chose who to follow. But then…

"Come on son, it's time wake up"

The boys eyes begin to part but then immediately shut at first sight of the sun.

"You cant" sleep all day Alan." said the boys father

"Sorry dad, but Theresa kept me up again last night. She wouldn't stop talking about her dreams." Said Alan

"Speaking of your sister, have you seen her yet today?"

"No, Why?"

"Alan! Don't tell me you forgot again, It's her birthday today." Suddenly Alan wasn't so tired. "You didn't even get her a gift did you. Well I'm not going to bail you out this year. It's about time you started acting responsible."

"Where am I suppose to get a gift?"

"Try the merchant in town? He might be trying to swindle everyone else but I think he will give a simple gift at a good price."

"Alright. Bye dad."

"Good luck son, and try not to get into trouble. Your mother is still mad about last time."

_So what if I released a few chickens into the pub. We got them all back._ Alan thought to himself.

Alan walked down the road to get to the center of town. He pasted many of the villagers. They all said "Good morning" and "How do you do?" to him. Oakvale was a quiet little town. There weren't many guards because there was never that much trouble. Most people here just assumed that the rest of the world was the same way. Alan knew very little of the world. But his mother always told him that it was a beautiful but dangerous place. He didn't real understand what see meant by that. Maybe he would when he was older.

Alan arrived in the center of town. People were conversing, Chickens were running about, Lora was looking for her cheating husband, and outside the pub there was a shady looking merchant trying to trick people into buying his junk.

"Hello there little boy! Can I interest you in these artifacts? They date all the way back to the old kingdom." said the merchant

It was obviously a lie "_What would an 8 year old need with old kingdom crap anyway" _thought Alan

'No actually I was hoping to get a gift for my sister." Said Alan

"Your sister? Oh how wonderful. I happen to have very nice box of chocolates right here."

The merchant reached into his bag and pulled out a nice wrapped box of sweets.

"Perfect!" exclaimed Alan

He reached for the box but his hand was hit away by the merchant.

"Sorry boy but even children have to pay. But I like you so I will give you a deal. Only three gold coins and the box is yours."

"I'm only eight! I don't have any gold."

"No gold, no chocolate"

Alan stormed off. "_Where am I suppose to get three gold"_ he thought.

Just then, a very distressed looking man came running toward him.

"Alan! oh am I glad to see you!" It was Greg. He looked after the supplies that were kept in the villages barn. He was sort of the village fool. "I really need to go….well you know….. answer a call of nature. Can you look after the stock in the barn while I'm gone? I'll throw in a gold piece for it."

The word "gold" caught Alans attention.

"Sure no problem" he said

"Great, I'll be back in no time."

Greg lied when he said he would be back soon. Alan stood outside the barn starring at a nearby tree. It was very boing. One of the village boys came running down the street. The boys name was Derrik. He was the village trouble maker. Then again Alan didn't have a clean record. But this kids pranks made Alans look like nothing.

"What do you want Derrik?" said Alan in a lazy tone.

"Hey Alan, heard that greg wanted you to look after his stuff. Well I also heard that he keeps gold in the stock. Smash some of the crates that the stock is kept in and maybe we'll find some."

Alan was conflicted. He promised Greg that he would look after the stock. But it was extremely boring. He could smash the crates, get the gold right now, and have some fun doing it. But suddenly he thought of what is father would say. Releasing chickens is one thing. But stealing? That was just wrong.

"Get out of here Derrik. I'm not gonna break anything."

"Aw! You're no fun at all." Derrik began to pout. "Fine, look after your stupid boxes. I'll go have fun some where else."

Derrik ran off. Most likely he was going to go bribe Loras husband for candy or put a spider in a guards pants. Alan really didn't care that much, as long as the kid was going to leave him alone to his boredom.

Greg came back a few minutes later and gave Alan a gold piece. Alan was hoping for more than one but it was a good place to start. Alan continued to walk though out town looking for work to do. Unfortunately the demand for an eight year old worker was quite low. Alan entered the part of town that contained most of the villagers homes. Outside of the house closets to the edge of town there was a girl hunched over crying.

"Hi Sarah. Whats wrong?" Asked Alan.

"I lost Rosie . I've looked everywhere and can't find her." See managed to say through her tears. Sarah was two years younger than Alan. She spent most of her time crying and hugging her teddy bear Rosie. The bear was Sarahs most important possession and possibly even her best friend. Alan wasn't good at making friends with the other kids in the village so he felt a little sympathetic for some who had lost their best friend.

"I'll look for her if you want." said Alan

"Really!? You would do that?"

"Of course."

"Oh Alan! You're the best. The last time I saw her Billy was playing with her. But he ran off and now I can't find Rosie or Billy."

"I'll do my best to find both of them."

Alan ran off to find the bear. Unfortunately he wasn't really sure where to start. He needed to find Billy. Alan remembered that Billy liked to play on the hill that over looked town. It was the only place he could think to look. As Alan approached the top he could hear crying and laughter. He silently arrived at the top. There were two boys. The one crying was Billy, the other was Butch the town bully. He was the oldest of the kids in Oakvale and like to use his superior size to get the other kids to do what he wanted. Billy had multiple bruises and Butch was towering over him laughing. It was obvious the Butch had turned Billy into his punching bag.

"Oh come on you little baby! Get up and take it like a man." Said Butch

"I just wanted to play. Why can't you leave me alone you jerk?"

"Hey! Watch who you call a jerk! some day your going to thank me for toughening you up." Butch noticed Alans presence. "Well if it ain't the farmers boy. Hey, how about you get over here and help me out? All I wanted to do was help my friend Billy here work on his fighting skills. But he wanted to play with a stupid bear instead. So now I want tear its head off. But the little prick won't give the damn thing."

Alan turned his attention to Billy. "I accidentally dropped Rosie and got her all dirty. So I was gonna take her home and clean her so Sarah wouldn't be sad. She doesn't have a lot of friends. But this big jerk stopped me and started to beat me up. Please help."

Alan looked at both the boys and wondered who to help. The decision was obvious. Alan stepped in front of Butch and created a distance between him and Billy. He starred down Butch with an angry glare.

"You're gonna help this little pussy!? Fine. I'll just have to kick the shit out of both of you. A pussy and a poor farmers boy. This'll be fun."

Alan wasn't gonna let him make the first move. Alan threw his fist forward and it meet Butchs ugly face. Butch was staggered by the attack and took a few steps back. Alan took this opportunity to charge at Butch and tackle him to the ground. Alan punched Butch multiple times.

"Stop! Stop! please!" Yelled Butch in pain.

Alan stopped hitting Butch and got up off the ground. Butch ran off crying and cursing.

"Wow! I can't believe you just beat up Butch. I didn't think anyone could. Here, take Rosie. She'll be safer with you. Oh and tell Sarah I'm sorry for taking her." Billy ran off with a smile on his face. Alan prepared to go find Sarah but was stopped by a guard.

"Stop right there Alan. Butch tells me that you attacked him out of nowhere."

"I didn't attack him. I was defending Billy. Butch was the one attacking people."

"Thats enough Alan. I know Butch might not be the nicest boy but that doesn't mean you can just hit him whenever you want." The guard grabbed Alan by the collar and started to drag him.

"Where are your taking me?!" yelled Alan

"To your father. He'll want to hear about the trouble you caused."

The guard dragged Alan home and told his father everything that happened.

"Thank you Tom. I'll have a talk with Alan."

Tom gave a slight nod and then walked off.

Alan was sitting on a small chair in the middle of their small home.

"Normally I would be disappointed Alan. But right now I'm not"

"Really!? Why?" Alan was surprised.

"Because before Tom dragged you here Billy stopped by. He told me what really happened. I don't condone any violent behavior, but you did the right thing." His father handed him two gold pieces. "Now go give that bear back to Sarah and get your sister a gift. This is the last time I'm going to help you out. next year your going to have to use your own money."

"Thanks a lot dad." Alan jumped of his chair and ran for the door but his father stopped him.

"Oh and son, I am very proud of you for doing what you thought was right."

"Really?"

"Of course. Remember to always do the right thing. Even if it's not whats easiest."

"I will"

"Thats my boy. Now hurry up. The suns gonna go down soon and we need to get ready sisters party. Your mom would be upset if every things not ready when she gets home."

Alan didn't waist any more time. He found Sarah where she was before. She was extremely happy to get Rosie back. In fact once she saw Rosie she had almost completely forgot that Alan was standing there. She did remember to thank him however. Next Alan ran off to the center of town to buy his sisters present. The merchant was planning to raise the price on him but then he heard what happened to Butch. It's safe to say that the merchant had become afraid of a child. Alan bought the chocolates with the gold he had gathered and left to find his sister.

Alan found Theresa playing in their fathers field near the entrance to Oakvale. Theresa was a year older that Alan and a bit taller. The both shared dark brown hair. She jumped around a scare crow in her rugged dress, playing a simple but fun game.

"Hello little brother. Finally awake I see."

"Hi Theresa. What are you doing out here?"

"Oh just trying to have fun. I'm guessing you forgot about my birthday again?" she giggled a little to herself

"What? Never!" Lied Alan "I would never forget about your birthday Theresa." He help out the small wrapped box and Theresa accepted in.

"Whats this?" she tore the box once nice wrapping and saw the dark sweets inside. "I knew that you were going to get me chocolates!"

"How?" asked Alan

"I had a dream about it. I was playing in the field and then you came up to me and handed me chocolates."

_"There she goes talking about dreams again" _Thought Alan

"All that stuff is in your head." said Alan

"It is not! I had a dream and it came true!"

"Sure, and some day I'm going to be a great warrior and you can be my sidekick." Alan said sarcastically.

"You're so mean sometimes." Theresa slapped Alan in the shoulder.

"Ow! O.K. I'm sorry." Alan laughed a little.

"Ugh, lets just go home. I'm sure mom is planning my party right now."

Alan and Theresa started to walk with Alan leading. Alan got past the fence that bordered their field when Theresa stopped him.

"Wait. I remember this. Something bad is going to happen." She said as she held and hand up to her forehead.

"I told you those dreams don't mean-"

"BANDITS!" There came a cry down the road.

Alan and Theresa both twisted there heads to see a frantic man sprinting through the town gates. Just before he reached the children he stopped dead in his tracks and fell face first into the ground. There was and arrow sticking out of his back.

"RUN!" yelled Theresa as she ran toward home.

Alan wanted to but he couldn't move. He was too scared. Suddenly he heard the yells and cheers come near the town gates. So Alan forced himself to move and he hid in a patch of bushes in his fathers field. He peered out from his hiding place and saw a group of men run into town. they all wore rugged clothes and carried swords. Some carried torches. One came up to the poor frantic mans corpse and kicked it. He then raise his bow in the air and yelled "GOT ONE!" with much pride.

Alan hid in the bushes for what seemed like hours. He could hear screams coming from town. He wanted to move and go find his family. But he was just too scared. Soon the sun went down and Alan worked up the courage to leave his hiding spot. He slowly walked down the path to town. the main road was blocked by a destroyed cart. So Alan had to take the only other path into town. It took him to a hill that beside the main road. When he reached the top he had a clear view of everything. It was night in Oakvale. But he could have mistaken it for morning, Because the entire village had been lit a blaze. The night sky was pierced by the raging red flames. His fear for his own safety had subsided and now he feared what had happened to his family. So he rushed to get home. To get there he would have to cross the bridge that went over the main road. It, like most of Oakvale, was on fire. Quickly he ran over it and dived to the other side. As soon as his body met the ground the bridge collapsed into ash. Alan waisted no time and rushed to his home. There were bodies everywhere, Tom the guard, Lora, the shady merchant, Greg, he thought he even saw Billy. There were still screams being heard in the distance. But Alan kept running. He wouldn't let himself slow down.

He Imagined his family, all hiding inside his house, safe and waiting for him to join him. They would all be there, Mom, Dad, and Theresa. All safe, all happy. But his happy day dream was broken as he came to the house. Flames flooded the once cozy home and three bodies lay on the ground. Two he believed were bandits. But the third, the third he could barely recognize but he knew it was his father. A blade in his hand to show that he fought to protect his family. There was no sign of his mother or sister. Alan fell to his knees. Tears flowed instantly, and the burning world around him didn't matter anymore. There was just him and the memory of his father.

The moment was cut short by a loud cry. Alan twisted his body and saw its source. A bandit stood behind him. He was bald with many scars covering his already unattractive face. The man gave out a sinister laugh and charged forward with a rusty blade. Alan covered himself with his arms, hoping it would serve some sort of defense from his attacked. The was only feet away now and it seemed as if Alans fate was sealed. But then there was a loud crack that sounded like thunder. The bandit stop his charge and began to twitch in a horrible manner. The bandit fell to the ground dead. His body smelled of burnt meat. Behind him stood a tall old man, cracks of lightning resonated from his right hand.

"_Magic!?"_ thought Alan

The old man approached him. His hair was white and his skin dark. There were strange glowing marks all over his body and he wore a dark blue robe.

"Everyone else is dead or will be. We must leave now."

"Who are you"

"I will explain later. First you must take my hand" he reached out with his left arm.

Alan was hesitant at first. But he didn't have a choice. He would die here no matter what. So Alan reached out and took his hand. Suddenly everything around him turned blue and he felt as if the whole world around him had broken apart and he was traveling faster than anything. The next thing he knew they were both standing in the middle of an open field. What just happened was amazing and just then Alan felt sick. Without warning he threw up his last meal.

"Hm, never teleported before? I had hoped you would have a stronger stomach." said the old man

Alan looked out over the open field. In the distance he could see a bright red light in the black night. It was Oakvale, still burning enough so that all of Albion could see it.

"What is your name boy?" asked the old man

"Alan. Alan Robe." he was still staring at his broken home

"There is nothing for you to go back to boy. Your family and friends are all gone."

"Then what am i suppose to do?! I've got nowhere to go!" Alan cried out in fear and anger.

"You come with me."

"Why would I do that?"

"You saw me use magic didn't you? I can do this because I am a hero."

_"A hero!?"_ Alan thought. Heroes were the most skill warriors in Albion. Trained in many skills. Sword skills, archery, and above all magic.

"I was on my way to Oakvale seeking anyone willing to join when i saw the flames. You lost a home. But in exchange for your loyalty, I can give you a new one."

_"Me!? A hero!?" _He never imagined that anyone would give him, a poor farmers son, this opportunity.

"What happened here today was horrible and I don't wish to force you into a new life. But if you join us and manage to become a hero. I will help you hunt down the men that did this and I will help you kill them."

Alan took one more look at Oakvale.

"Fine, I will join you, become a hero, a get my revenge."

"It is unfortunate that someone so young must seek revenge. But this is the world we live in. My name is Maze, it is a pleasure to meet you Alan Robe"

"You too Maze, and thank you for saving me."

"Boy I did not save you. The road ahead will be the hardest one you have ever walked. The training of a hero is no simple task. You must devote you life to it or you will die."

Alan only gave him a confident nod.

"Good, you will need that confidence. Now lets hurry. Your training begins first thing in the morning."

Maze and Alan traveled for a few hours. Both were completely silent along the way. eventually they came to a huge stone building. Maze opened its large wooden gates and beaconed Alan to enter. Once inside Maze commanded Alan to remain in the main room. It was a large room with a big map of Albion in the center.

About ten minutes later Maze returned with an even older man behind him.

"Hello there Alan." said the old man "I am the guild master. I train and guide all members of the Heroes guild. Maze says that there is much promise in you. Honestly you don't look like much but I trust in Mazes advice."

"It's nice to meet you guild master. I am sorry if I seem weak."

"Do not apologize boy. Do well here and prove me wrong."

"I will do my best."

"You will need more than your best. Enough talk, I'm sure that you need rest. Come and will show you to your room."

Alan and the guild master left Maze in the guilds main room. The two of them progressed up a flight of stairs and then threw several rooms. He saw many man and women studying books, talking, and some playfully performing magic on each other. Though most stopped when they saw the guild master. The two came to a small room with a bookcase, two desks, and two beds.

"This is where you will be staying. You will sharing this room with Whisper. She is one of our most skilled young students."

_"I'm sharing a room with a girl? How strange." _He though. But the thought was quickly lost because he had much more on his mind.

"Now get to bed. You have a long day tomorrow."

Alan obeyed the guild master and climbed into his bed. Suddenly he felt more tired than ever before and drifted into sleep quickly.

"GET UP!"

Alan nearly fell out of his bed. Standing over him was a young girl with dark skin.

"So you're my new roommate. You don't look very impressive. Especially since you were crying in your sleep."

_"I can't help it if I just lost my whole family bitch."_ Alan disregard his hostile thoughts.

"You must be Whisper."

"Yes and you are Alan. The guild master told me everything. Which is why I am here. You are late to training and the Guild Master doesn't like to wait. So get up and lets go." She had a foreign accent. He had never heard one like it. "Common I will give a tour."

Whisper took Alan all over the Guild. She showed him the cafeteria that was located under the sleeping quarters. She show him the Guilds extensive library, the training ground, and even the servants quarters. Finally they came to the training grounds.

"You're late." said the Guild Master "Try not to sleep for so long in the future."

"I'm sorry Guild Master." said Alan.

"No matter. I suppose we should begin. Enter the training grounds."

The training grounds was a small stadium with a wooden fence around it. In the middle there was a scare crow. Alan hooped over the fence and now faced the dummy.

"Lets see how strong you are. Try to punch the scare crow."

Alan didn't really understand what he was going to learn by punching a scare crow but then again he was only the student. So he charger forward and punched the scare crow. Unfortunately for him he also punched its wooden frame. Alan yelled in pain and began to shake his hand back and forth.

"Well that didn't do much did it?" Said the Guild Master

"He is not only weak but he's pretty stupid too." laughed Whisper.

"Here, try using this." the Guild Master threw a wooden sword to him. "See how that works."

Alan got accustomed to the weight of the sword. He got in a ready stance and changed. once he was only inches away from the scare crow he took strong swing and knocked the scare crows head off.

"Well done. But lets see how you do in a real fight. Whisper, if you would please."

Whisper took up a wooden sword of her own and entered the training circle.

"You better get ready. Cause I'm not holding back."

"Same goes for me." said Alan

In a smiler way as before Alan charged and went for her head. Only this time the attack was blocked and Whisper made a quick jab at Alan's gut. He could barely think before the attack hit him. It pain spread through his body as he fell to the ground.

"It that all you've got." Whisper let out a triumphant laugh. So of the other guild apprentices gathered around and chuckled at the quick defeat.

Alan stood up and readied himself again.

"Thats enough." said the Guild Master. "The fact that you were able to get back up shows that you have potential. So here in front of most of your peers. I pronounce you an apprentice of the Heroes Guild."

Whisper was unhappy that her public humiliation of Alan turned into his crowning moment. But she knew that this meant that she had mort chances to do it again. Alan on the other hand was extremely happy. He had lost much, but now at least he had a place to call home again.

Over the next many years Alan trained hard. He stayed up late studying the history of the Guild, trained his sword and archery skills as much he could, and tried to cast many spells. But despite his hard work he always seemed to be behind his peers. Especially Whisper who had become the best of the new apprentices to no ones surprise. But to everyones surprise Alan and Whisper had become best friends. Then were always challenging each other. Whisper normally won but that just gave Alan a better drive to try and win.

(4 Years later)

Alan now the age of twelve had fallen asleep in the library during one of his late night study sessions. Whisper walked into the library and found him using a book as a pillow and promptly drolling all over it.

"GET UP!" It was the same anger voice that had woken him up countless times. By now he had learned to block it out and went back to sleep. But he woke up after his angry roommate had kicked his chair and caused him to land face first on the floor.

"Damn it Whisper! Can't I get a good night sleep just once?!"

"Not if you plan on being late to training every day."

Alan suddenly realized that today was training in magic and that he was later than he had ever been.

"Shit! Why did you wait till now to wake me?"

"Because the last time I got you up you told me to stop and that you could get yourself up in the morning. Obviously you were wrong."

She was right, but Alan wasn't about to admit it. Whisper grabbed Alan by the arm and lifted him up.

"Come on Farmboy, I will race you to the training grounds."

"Why? So you can lose to me again?"

"Ha! I've already beat you in everything else. The only thing you can win at is running away."

Alan had proven to be the fastest runner of all the apprentices. He frequently made bets with the others when ever he was short on gold. Maze and the Guild Master didn't often approve but they were usually to busy to stop the races.

"Fine Whisper, your on."

Both of them got in a readied stance. Some of the other nearby apprentices noticed what was about to happen and cleared the way. Their races could get very intense at times and anyone in the way would usually end up getting tackled by accident.

"Ready." said Whisper "GO!"

Both of them took off like lightning. Whisper got an early lead but that was because Alan didn't want to burn himself up yet. They progressed through the main hall and into the cafeteria. Alan was beginning to fall behind so he decided to go into full gear and as a way to cover lost ground he leaped onto a table and cut straight through the room. Unfortunately for the other Heroes and apprentices that were eating, their food was either kicked into their face or now had an unappealing boot print in it.

Once out of the cafeteria, they were outside in the garden. Now that they were outside they both went all out. They weaved between the gardeners and staff working in the garden and bumped into some of them. Many of the workers they moved past cursed at them for crushing newly planted flowers under their feet.

They now drew close to the magic training ground. It was a small Island in the middle of a pond behind the guild. Whisper began to fall behind as she had already used up most of her energy trying to get an early lead. Alan knew that this was his chance for victory over his close friend. They progressed down the stone path that lead to the island. Alan took the lead and finished the race as the victor. Whisper came to stop and bent over to catch her breath. Alan walked over and was about to gloat but he then noticed that every apprentice in attendance was laughing at the two and the Guild Master had a disapproving glare.

"I wont scold you for studying Alan, but today is a very important day and I would ask that you try to be on time from now on and if possible could not cause so much trouble for your fellow guild members"

"How was I causing trouble?" asked Alan between his tired breaths

"Not only did you just run through the whole guild, most likely causing damage again, but we have been waiting on you for forty minutes. It is unfair for your fellow apprentices to have to wait for you to wake up."

Alan began to feel guilty of his mistakes. The Guild Master was his mentor and Alan did not want to disappoint him.

"I understand Master, I am sorry." Alan lowered his head a little and then lined up shoulder to shoulder with the others.

"Alright everyone. As I am sure you all know we are going to be training in magic today. Can anyone tell me what the source of magic is?"

Whisper immediately spook up. "All magic is fueled by Will."

"Very good Whisper." The Guild Master began pacing back and forth. "Will flows through every living thing. Heroes have far more Will than the normal person and because of this we can perform magic. Will can also be used to increase speed, reflexes, and strength. Whisper, could you please cast a spell for the others?"

Whisper stepped forward and stood thirty feet from a training dummy. She raised her right hand and shot bolts of lightning. Lightning coursed through the dummy until it was dark black. Whisper returned to the other apprentices.

"Well done. Now I want all of you to try and cast the same spell. Concentrate on the target and take deep breaths. Soon you will feel the energy move through you. Move that energy to your hand and release it all at once."

Each apprentice picked a training dummy to practice on. Alan looked down the row and saw each apprentice try and fail. Some were unable to shot lightning, others shot lightning but it only went a short distance.

"_This is it." _Alan thought _"I'm gonna use everything I've got at once and show everyone that I'm not so useless. Today I am gonna outshine Whisper!" _

Alan got in a readied stance and began to take deep breaths _"I can feel it" _Will moved through his body. Alan concentrated it all in one hand and pointed it at his dummy. _"Time for me to shine!" _

The Guild Master's eyes went wide when he felt Alan gather his Will. "ALAN WAIT!" It was too late. Alan released all of his Will at once. But instead of creating lightning, the Will retracted and caused a large explosion that blew Alan back and caused his class mates to duck in cover. When they all rose their heads the saw a large crater where Alan had been standing. Alan had been thrown back and had fallen in the water. All of his classmates began to point and laugh over Alan's huge failure _"Why do I even try?"_

Maze heard the explosion from his quarters and came running down to the training area.

"Master what happened?!"

"Alan tried to use lightning and ended up causing an explosion."

Maze brought two fingers up to the bridge of his nose. "Ugh, I should have known it was him. Maybe I was wrong after all. I thought the boy had potential but it seems like he was just a failure in the end."

"Actually Maze you were dead on about him."

"What do you mean Master?"

"Before Alan attempted to use the spell I could feel him build up his Will. I am surprised he didn't end up destroying half of the Guild."

"You can't be serious."

"I am. That boy has far more power in him than we thought. Now we just need to help him control it."

"You seem very set on helping him."

"It has been sometime since we have had a student with this much power Maze. We exiled the last one in fear and paid the price for it. I will not repeat the same mistake."

It was many months before Alan was able to successfully perform magic. Many students had pulled ahead of him. But none the less Alan continued to work toward becoming a great hero someday. As the years went on Alan drew closer to his final trials but continued to fall behind.

_(5 Years Later)_

"Is that the best you can do farmboy?"

Alan put all of his strength into each attack but Whisper parried his sword every time. The young teen leapt back to create distance between him and his training partner. Sweat ran down his forehead and dripped off the tip of his nose. But Whisper remained completely composed.

"You know your trials are in a month right? There is now way your going to pass if this is the best you can do."

"Not good enough for you Whisper? Then how bout this!"

Alan shot a fireball from his palm but Whisper quickly side stepped and rushed Alan. Before Alan could react Whisper used a roundhouse kick to knock him to the ground. Alan tried to get up but he had already used up all of his strength and Will.

"Just give up farmboy. Your never gonna beat me. You didn't think I was going to go easy on you just cause were friends did you?"

"I would be nice if you could let up at least once."

The Guild Master looked on their fight with Maze at his side.

"At this rate he won't become a Hero." Said Maze with a sigh

"I guess I will have to give a bit of help then."

"What do you mean by help Master?"

"A few extra lessons maybe?"

"That wouldn't be very fair to the other students."

"Don't be so uptight Maze. Alan has already fallen behind most of his peers and could use the help. Besides, Alan has amazing potential. I can't let it go to waste." The Guild Master left Maze's side and approached the training arena.

"Thats enough for today you two. Go get some rest Whisper. Alan, I want to speak with you."

Whisper helped Alan off the ground and proceed toward her room. Alan slowly made his way to the edge of the arena.

"I am sorry for losing again Master. She is just too fast for me."

"Whisper out does you in many more fields than just speed Alan."

"Thanks a lot Master." Alan said with sarcasm in his voice. "I won't pass at this rate will I?"

"I am afraid not my young student."

Alan hung his head low and felt like just giving up on it all right their.

"Pick your head up Alan. I am going to help you get stronger." Alan's head instantly shot up and turned toward his Master.

"Really?!"

"Of course. I would do anything for one of my students."

"What are you going to teach me? A bunch of secret spells or sword techniques?" Alan could barely hold in his excitement.

"No Alan. Unfortunately we don't have enough time to teach you anything too advanced. In fact there is really only one technique that I can teach you in a month." Alan lost all of his excitement and went back to hanging his head low.

"I am going to need more that one technique in order to pass Master."

"Don't be so sure Alan. This technique is one that every Hero needs to learn but is difficult to master."

"Really? What is it?"

"Will control." Alan's heart sank even deeper.

"Will control? Master I can already cast spells and I suck at it."

"Will control and casting spells are two very different things Alan. In fact the reason you have so much trouble with spells is because you lack Will control."

"I don't really understand."

"Whenever you cast a spell you gather up Will a force it out of you. But have you noticed that sometime casting a spell makes you very tired while other times you feel fine?"

"I guess something like that has happened before."

"The same goes for using your sword and bow techniques."

"Now that you mention it."

"You see Alan, as a Hero, Will effects almost everything you do. But you lack the ability to balance your Will. Since you cannot control and balance your Will you will often end up using more that is required or to little to create an effective spell. Up until now whenever you used Will you were just shooting out random amounts at a time. But with Will control you will be able to control how much you use and therefore last much longer in combat."

"Whisper already knows how to do this doesn't she?"

"Whisper has known how to since she was thirteen."

"Of course she has."

"Everyone learns at their own pace Alan. Go home and get some rest. We will start the lesson in the morning. Meet me out in the woods when you are ready."

(The next morning)

Alan made his way through the woods until he found the Guild Master meditating in a small opening in the trees.

"I am glad that you were able to show up on time today Alan. Shall we begin?"

"Sure. But can ask something first?"

"Of course."

"How long do you think training will take."

"Honestly Alan I'm not really sure. You are a special case when it comes to Will control."

"Why is that?"

"In most people their Will flows evenly throughout their body. After sometime of casting spells they notice the lack of balance and learn how to do it on their own. But for you it is different. You have an incredibly large amount of Will in your body Alan and it does not flow evenly. Because it has an uneven flow you are unable to notice the lack of balance.

"So how am I suppose to go about learning to control my Will if I can't even notice anything wrong?"

"By driving your body to it's very limit. By doing so you will learn just how much you can withstand. As you regain your stamina you will feel Will flow back through your body and gain a greater understanding of just how to keep a balanced flow."

"I understand Master. I'm ready when you are."

Alan spent everyday of the next month training. He pushed his body until he would collapse. He was getting stronger but he still was no where near the level he needed to be at.

(Three days before Alan's final exam)

Alan let out long gasps of breath and resisted falling to the ground.

"Well done Alan. You mastered Will control with three days to spare."

"Mastered? But I don't feel any different."

"It takes time for the body to recognize the change. Go home and rest till the exam. I promise that you will feel the difference."

Alan tried to follow his masters advice but it was difficult to relax when the most important test of his life was coming up. Alan was only able to get a few hours of sleep his first night off and decided to head to the library early in the morning hoping that a bit of studying would get him to fall asleep.

"You're up early." The guild master entered the library and sat down next to Alan. "I thought I told you to relax."

"I can't sleep. Nothing I do can get the exam off my mind." There was a moment of silence between the two. "Master, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Why bother with me?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You just spent everyday for the last month training me and there is still no guaranty that I will become a hero. So why waist your time on me when even if I passed I probably wouldn't make that great of a hero." There was another moment of silence. The guild master stood open and began looking through the multiple books of the library.

"Alan, have you ever heard of a man named Kaiden Black?" Alan pondered the question for a moment.

"I think I have heard the name before. I don't see what that has to do with my question though."

"It has everything to do with your question Alan. You see Kaiden was once a student of mine many years ago."

"How long ago."

"A good deal before your time. I began training Kaiden not long after the hero's revolt. Kaiden was a bit like you. He lost his family at a young age. He was full of courage and willing to do anything if it meant becoming a better hero. Kaiden was also the most promising student I ever taught. He was able to learn advance spell in a matter of days and could defeat apprentices years ahead of him."

"Sounds like he was a better student that Whisper."

"Yes, watching him grow was amazing. He was more like a son to me than a student. His past was full of so much darkness and yet he was filled with light. I wanted nothing more that to watch him succeed. I knew that once he had become a hero he would do nothing but bring good to the world. But unfortunately Kaiden never finished his training."

"Why?"

"At the time I wasn't called the guild master. Instead of having a master of the guild there was a council of elders. This council was composed of myself, Maze, and five other heroes that lead the revolt. We were the strongest and wisest amongst the heroes guild. The council decided that Kaiden was too dangerous and they wanted me to cease training him."

"Too dangerous? In what way?"

"The council feared what would happen should Kaiden go down the path of darkness after he had finished his training. We revolted against the original guild to give heroes a choice in their own path but we must still do what is best in the interest of Albion. I tried to protest but they all agreed that Kaiden had to be removed from the guild."

"So what happened after he was removed."

"We are not a charity Alan. Once someone is removed from the guild they must be ex-communicated. We can't give shelter to someone who isn't one of us."

"So you just kicked him out? You said it yourself that his family was gone. Where was he suppose to go?"

"It didn't matter to the council. He was kicked from the guild never to return. I don't know what happened to Kaiden after leaving the guild, but he must have had many painfully experiences."

"How do you know?"

"Because I met him again years later. I left on a quest with three veteran heroes to deal with a pack of Balverines attacking traders along the roads of Albion. On our way back to the guild we were attacked. It didn't take long for me to recognize that Kaiden was the one who attacked us. He killed my comrades and declared to me that he was going to destroy the heroes guild. He was sixteen at the time."

"Seriously? He killed three trained heroes as a teenager?!"

"Yes. He was a different person. His once cheerful and confident demeanor had been replaced by one filled with hatred and pain. After that he waged war against the heroes guild for four year."

"He must have had help right?"

"No. He fought us alone, and we were losing. In those four years he killed dozens of us. But then one day he just disappeared. We remained vigilant but two years went by and we believe that Kaiden had finally rid himself of his hatred or had somehow died."

"You never saw him again?"

"I wish that were the case. Kaiden made one final assault on the guild. He broke through the doors with ease a began to slaughter us one by one. He killed almost the entire council. After sometime only myself, Maze, and a handful of heroes were left standing. Kaiden was weak after fighting each member of the council and I took advantage of his fatigue by driving a sword thru his chest."

"I'm sorry master, but I still don't understand what that has to do with what I asked you."

"You might think that you're weak Alan, but I think you have amazing potential. I gave up on Kaiden. I let the council cast him out and I never want to see that happen again. No matter how hopeless it might seem, I will never give up on one of my students."

Alan and the guild master parted ways and Alan was left alone once again in the library.

(2 days later)

Alan went through his first three tests with ease, showing great skill in Archery, Will, and Strength.

"_Master was right. I feel a lot stronger. There is only one test left and once I pass it I'll be a true hero."_

All the apprentices gathered around the training field in front of Maze and the Guild Master.

"Well done all of you." Began the Guild Master. "You have made your way to the final test. This test is used to show your skill in open combat. You will be separated into groups of two. You will then do combat with your partner and the victor will become a hero. If you lose we will take your feats during the battle into consideration and if Maze and myself believe you showed a great deal of skill despite losing, you shall also pass. Remember, this is open combat so anything goes. Treat this as if it were a real battle. Good luck to all of you."

Maze would call out two names and each student would enter the ring. Some fights took as long as half an hour while other were over in a few minutes. Alan was too nervous to pay much attention to the battles. Maze place his hand in a small wooden box and drew at random.

"Alan Robe."

"_This is it. I've come to far. There is no way I can lose after all that I've done."_

Maze drew another name. He paused for a moment and then his shoulders dropped a little. "Whisper."

Alan's heart sank. _"You can't be serious." _He thought _"Of all the names that could have been picked, why did it have to be her."_

The two apprentices entered the training ring.

"We might be best friends farm boy, but I won't go easy on you." Said Whisper

"I wouldn't expect you to." Said Alan

The two of them drew their weapons. Alan had his iron longsword and Whisper had her staff.

"Begin!"

Whisper made the first move by lunging forward. Alan got into a defensive stance, but Whisper quickly stepped to the side and got behind Alan's defense. She made a low kick and swept him off his feet. Alan rolled as his body made contact with the ground and regained his stance. He then unleashed a flurry of attacks. Whisper dodged and blocked the attacks with ease and then counter one of his swings. Alan was thrown off and left open. Whisper attacked and cut into Alan's arm. Alan quickly made distance between himself and her.

"You've gotten better farm boy. But your still not good enough."

"Don't count me out yet!"

Alan release a blast of fire from his palm. Whisper ducked under the attack and began an assault on Alan. He tried the block her various attacks but they were too fast. Eventually he was thrown off balance again and a number of Whispers attacks made contact. Alan was once again able to make distance but could barely stand at this point.

"_This is it then. It was all for nothing."_

Whisper chuckled a bit. "Face it Alan. You're determined and you've got a good heart. But you were never meant to be a hero. You have too accept that it was all a fantasy."

"_I'm pathetic. I can't do anything right. I won't even be able avenge my family. I hid behind that fence like a coward while my family suffered and now I will never be able make it right."_

"Give it up farm boy. I don't wanna hurt you anymore."

"No." Alan tried to stead himself

"What was that?"

"I can't give up."

"Why not? Stop making this harder than it already is. I am trying to help you as a friend. Why can't you just accept that it's over?"

"Because if I do then I'll have nothing left. If there is even the slightest chance that I might win then I have to go for it. If I don't then everything I worked for will go to waist."

Whisper dropped her head a bit. She let out a slight sigh and then prepared her staff.

"I'm sorry Alan. But there isn't any hope for you. I'm going to end this."

"_I've still got one more chance." _Alan began to gather Will in his feet. _"Please let this work."_

"Time to finish this." Whisper charged and lunged her staff forward for one final attack. But before the attack could hit, Alan disappeared in a flash and the attack only hit thin air.

"_What happened?" _Thought Whisper _"He was just here a moment ago."_

Whisper felt her opponents presence behind her. She quickly turned to see Alan's blade over his head getting ready to come down to strike her. _"How the hell did he get behind me?!"_

Whisper used the opposite end of her staff to stab at Alan's gut but he disappeared again and reappeared at the other side of the arena. Whisper could believe what she was seeing.

"I don't understand. How can you teleport so quickly?!"

"He isn't teleporting." Said the guild master who had been looking over the fight.

"Then what is it?" asked Maze

"Can't you tell Maze? It's Assassin's Rush."

Maze was taken aback "That's impossible. It takes some heroes years to master movement like that."

"Movement?!" Whisper couldn't believe what she heard. "You mean this is physical speed? Not some form of teleportation?"

"Yes." Said the guild master. "It is a spell that greatly increases ones speed for a short period of time."

"That's ridiculous. There's no way someone like Alan could move like that."

"You shouldn't be so quick to judge your opponent Whisper." Alan used Assassin's Rush to move around the ring at an incredible speed. Whispers eyes could barely follow his movements. Before Whisper could react, Alan moved in front of her and attacked with an upward slash. Whisper just barely blocked the strike. Alan moved behind her and kicked her in the side causing her to stagger. Before Whisper could regain her balance, Alan took his sword in both hands and all his strength into one slash. Whisper couldn't withstand the blow. She was disarmed and forced to the ground. Whisper motioned to regain her staff but before she could Alan placed his sword at her neck. Beads of sweat ran down her face.

"It's over Whisper. I've won."

Whisper let out a sigh. "You're right. I yield."

Maze stepped into the ring as Alan sheathed his blade. "Then I declare Alan Robe the victor. Congratulations."

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. I can't say that every chapter is going to be this long. I just want to start off big I guess. Don't forget to review.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter 2. Hope you enjoy. Please give me some feedback

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fable**

* * *

Alan sat in bed unable to take his eyes off his guild seal. The graduation ceremony was over and he was finally a true hero. Whisper also graduated despite losing for showing great skill.

"_I'm one step closer." _He thought _"I promise that I'm gonna keep getting stronger Dad...I wonder if Mom and Theresa are O.K. I never saw there bodies at Oakvale so hopefully they made it out."_

The Guild Master entered Alan's room and broke his thoughts.

"Your vision will go bad if you stare at that thing all day."

"Sorry Master. I am still having hard time believing it."

"Indeed. You surprised all of us with that match Alan. Well done."

"Thank you Master. Was there anything you needed?"

"Yes actually. I wanted to give you a few things."

The Guild Master unstrapped a longsword from his back and handed it to Alan.

"Your old sword was looking a little beat up, so I had the blacksmith forge one for you."

Alan took the blade from its sheath and observed it. It was a well crafted steel blade.

"Thanks. It's a great sword."

"I also took the liberty of putting some new clothes in your dresser. You can't go running around in your apprentice robes. Now get some sleep. You're getting your first real quest in the morning."

"Goodnight Master."

"Goodnight Alan."

The Guild Master left and Alan place his new sword with the rest of his equipment. Slowly he drifted off to sleep.

_Alan ran threw the burning roads of Oakvale. Desperately, he sprinted to his home. He began to yell as he came up the road._

"_MOM, DAD, THERESA! I'M A HERO NOW! I CAN SAVE YOU! I PROMISE."_

_Alan came to his house. The small home had been engulfed by flames and his family was nowhere to be found. Instead he saw a young man standing in front of his house watching the fire rage. He looked to be around Alan's age with a scar going across his left eye. He had black hair that went to the back of his lower neck and past his eyebrows. His eyes were emotionless and cold._

"_Who are you? Where is my family?"_

_The man turned toward Alan and their eyes met._

"_Their dead...And so are you."_

"_What?"_

_Suddenly Alan felt a sharp pain in his gut. He looked down to see that a sword had pierced him and the man was now only inches from him._

"_Why?" asked Alan as he bled out._

"_Because you were suppose to die that day. The bandits, the attack, the fire. It was meant for you. I am here to finish what was started."_

_The man removed his blade and Alan fell to his knees. He rose the blade over Alan's neck and brought it down._

"AH!" Alan shot up out of his bed as beads of sweat ran down his forehead. He let out a few deep breaths and then leaned back in bed.

"_That was one fucked up dream" _he thought _"But it felt sort of real."_

Alan cleaned his body of sweat and dressed in his new clothes (The villager outfit). It had been a long time since he had worn anything but robes. He prepared the rest of his equipment and made his way down to the map room. The Guild Master already there looking through various quest cards.

"Good morning Master."

"Good morning Alan. Are you ready for your first quest?"

"Defiantly. What have you got? Some bandits that need to be hunted? A sorcerer to be brought down? Maybe a troll?" The Guild Master chuckled at Alan's requests.

"Nothing like that. I was thinking something more along the lines of a lost child or maybe a drunken brawl that needs to be put to a stop?" Alan lost a great deal of his excitement.

"You've gotta be kidding me Master. The guards can take care of that stuff. I'm a hero. I should be doing heroic stuff."

"The job of the guards is to guard things. That's why we call them guards. Every hero needs to start somewhere. You're not ready for anything too serious yet."

"Come on there has to be something at least a little more exciting to do."

The Guild Master pondered for a moment but his thoughts were cut short as the main doors flung open. A villager came sprinting into the map chamber with sweat dripping from his face.

"We've go a huge problem Master!" he started "Giant wasps are attacking the picnic area. We need help NOW!"

The Guild Master turned toward Alan with a slight smile.

"Does giant wasps sound exciting enough for you Alan?" Alan's expression turned into a cocky smile

"It sounds perfect."

Without another word Alan and the villager went sprinting out of the guild and down the road. They came to a break in the road right before the forest.

"The picnic area is right down this path. Please hurry. The long you wait the more people are going to get hurt." Alan nodded and made his way down the path. Some villagers came running past him screaming. When he arrived he could see bodies lying about the area with a few people trying to fight off wasps and children hiding under a table. _"The children first." _He thought

Alan dashed forward and drew his blade. He quickly cut down a group of wasps surrounding the children. They ran out from under the table and away from the picnic area. He unleashed a flurry of fireballs to kill multiple wasps and to gather the attention of the remaining ones. He held off the wasps giving the remaining villagers time to escape. Once the area was clear he quickly dispatched of the remaining wasps without having to hold back. Alan sheathed his sword and observed the surrounding area.

"Guess that's all of them. I was expecting it to be a bit more difficult than that. Oh well." Alan started to make his way back to the Guild. But before he could leave he heard a distant buzzing. _"Guess I got time for a few more." _

Alan turned not to see a group of wasps but one wasp the size of three men. He hadn't save the picnic area, he had instead only managed to piss off their queen.

"Oh shit." was all he could say before the queen swiped at him with her massive stinger. Alan rolled out of the way and drew his bow. He shot quickly for the queens chest. The arrow landed but it didn't have enough power behind it and was a shallow blow. The enraged queen continued to stab at Alan with her stinger. Alan used Assassin's Rush to get behind her and drew his sword. He attacked with a downward slash but the strike hit only dirt. The queen had flown over Alan's head before he could make contact.

"_Damnit! She's got incredible reflexes and can sense my movements. Assassin's Rush might not help me much here. I need to slow her down."_

Just then Alan hatched an idea.

"Hey bitch!" He yelled "Is that the best you got? I guess it must be pretty tough to fight with a big ass like that. Honestly your kids didn't put up much of a fight either." Alan planted his foot one of the many wasp corpses that littered the picnic area. The wasp was crushed under Alan's boot and it guts sprayed all over the ground. "Oops. Its not really that big of a deal. I had already killed him anyways."

The queen became furious and charged Alan with he sting pointed straight at him. When she was a few feet away, Alan used Assassin's Rush and the queen's stinger was lodged into the ground. She struggled desperately to free herself. Alan threw a fireball at her left wing. It was an easy target and her wing was engulfed with flames. The queen became unable to fly. As she lay on the ground trying to retreat Alan approached her slowly. He brought his sword up and drove it down through her skull. She jerked back and forth for a moment and then went limp. Alan pulled his sword free to then begin hacking away at the queen's neck. Soon the she was decapitated and Alan had a trophy to show the Guild Master.

Alan made his triumphant return and threw the queen's head onto the map table to show his victory. Guts leaked out from the hole in her neck all over the map.

"I hope you plan to clean that up." Said the Guild Master frankly

"Oh come one Master! I completed my first quest. You could at least act like your impressed."

"Thats just it Alan. I'm not impressed. I gave you that quest because I knew you would be able to handle without any problems. You did just as I expected you to."

"Wait a minute. You sent me to take care of a few wasps and I ended up killing a queen. I think I did a bit more than you were expecting."

"Oh come now Alan. Everyone knows that wherever there is a large group of wasps there is a queen near by. You knew that when you accepted the quest didn't you?" Alan froze for a moment.

"Ye-Yeah of course I did." He lied. "Never mind all that. The point is that I completed the quest."

"True and you deserve a reward." The Guild Master took a small pouch of gold from his pocket and threw it to Alan. "You can also keep the head if you want. In fact I would prefer if you didn't leave it sitting here."

"Oh yeah, no problem." Alan rubbed the back of his neck

"Once you've dealt with you're...trophy, I suggest that you go to Bowerstone and purchase some new equipment. Also Maze is there and I am sure that he would like to speak with you."

Alan stored the queens head in his room and left for Bowerstone. It didn't take long for him to arrive there. He had only ever been to the town once while he was an apprentice and that was a few years ago. He entered the town but was quickly stopped. Before he could ask any questions the guard stripped him of his weapons and sent him on his way.

"You can pick them up on your way out." Said the guard at the door.

Alan walked up to the pub to find Maze waiting outside.

"Good to see you Maze. The Guild Master said you wanted to speak with me?"

"Hello Alan. I have some news for you."

"News? What about?"

"I believe you sister may be alive." Alan's could barely believe it.

"Are you serious? She's alive?!"

"I don't know for sure yet but I am going to keep looking into it. Keep completing quest and get stronger. When I have more information I will contact you."

"Thank you Maze. You have no idea how much this means."

"There is no need to thank me Alan."

Maze left to return to the guild and Alan proceeded to the shops around Bowerstone. He bought a new bow and a few healing potions. As he got ready to leave town a group of children went running by him.

"My brother told me that there is a hero outside of the school. We gotta go check it out."

"_Another hero. I guess I could go check out who it is."_

Alan arrived outside the school house and saw a massive man with dark skin and bronze armor.

"_Oh no." _Thought Alan

"YOU!" he heard "Get over here farmboy." Thunder beckoned for Alan to come closer. Alan approached the veteran hero and tried not to look him in the eyes.

"You've got some nerve showing your face around me after what you did." Said Thunder

"And what exactly did I do?"

"Don't play dumb. You cheated to beat my sister during the final tests."

"Cheat? I didn't cheat Thunder. My fight with Whisper was fair."

Thunder laughed in Alan's face. "You honestly expect me to believe that a pathetic farmboy like yourself could beat my sister. You're deluded."

"Laugh all you want, doesn't change that fact that I came out on top" Thunder didn't find that amusing.

"Best watch yourself boy. I could crush you like an ant if I really wanted to." Alan could argue with that. Thunder was far more experienced than him. At least for now he was. Alan left without another word in an attempt to not make things any worst than they already were.

"_Been a hero one day and I already have the champion of the arena out for me."_

Alan retuned to the guild as the sun began to set. He laid down in his bed an in minutes sleep took him.

(A few days later)

Alan entered the map room to meet with The Guild Master.

"Hey Master, Maze said you had an important quest for me?"

"Ah it's good that your here Alan. Yes today I have a special assignment for you."

"Alright, what's up?"

"It has recently come to our attention that a group of bandits has set up camp in the Greatwood Gorge. They have been tolling anyone that passes."

"So a bunch of scum bags are charging people to pass? I don't see how thats guild business."

"It's our business because anyone that can't pay doesn't get to just leave. The bandits have been killing them and taking anything they can get their hands on."

"So you want me to drive them out?"

"No. There are far too many for you to handle alone. I need you to scout out their camp. You shouldn't draw much attention and if you do you should be able to get away with Assassin's Rush. After you have scouted their camp, you are going to meet with Whisper and a group of heroes just down the road to deal with the Bandits. Are you up for it?"

"If I get a chance to deal with bandit scum than I am always up for it."

"Wonderful. Leave as soon as you can. Good luck Alan."

Within an hour Alan arrived at the Gorge. Greatwood had always been full of bandits but this was the first time he had ever heard of them setting up a toll. Carefully he went down the road. In the distance he could see a few carts that had been tipped and what looked like a corpse.

"_I'm close." _He thought

Alan got off the road and stealth moved through the trees. He came closer to the camp and hid in a bush just before the Gorge. He peered over the bush to see wooden barricades and a bandit flag. He expected to see a guard but instead he saw a man on the ground with a pike through his chest.

"_What the hell?"_

Alan got back on to the road and used the barricades as cover to get a closer look at the corpse. He was clearly a bandit.

"_Did this dumbass fall on his own weapon or something?"_

He looked around the corner of the barricades to get a look at the camp and what he saw was something he though he would never see. Before him was a grizzle scene. Every bandit in the camp had been slaughtered. Corpses riddled the camp. Some of them were beyond recognition. One bandit had been propped up on a tree by his own blade. Alan walk through the camp looking for survivors but their were none.

"_Who the hell could have done something like this. Even bandits don't deserve to be left like this."_

Just as Alan got ready to leave the camp he heard a terrified scream. Just then a wounded bandit came out from the trees.

"PLEASE! PLEASE SAVE ME!"

"Save you?"

"He's coming. THAT BASTARD IS COMING TO FINSIH ME."

"Who? Who is coming?"

"A demon." Suddenly the bandit went wide eyed and fell to the ground. A dagger was sticking out from the back of his head. Alan looked up to see a hooded figure in black robes with a longsword strapped to his back. Alan put his hand on the hilt of his own sword.

"I am Alan Robe of the Heroes Guild. Are you the one who killed these men." The man was silent for a moment.

"Robe? A child of Scarlet Robe then?" Alan let his guard down.

"How do you my mother?"

Without warning the man drew his blade and charged Alan. Alan was surprised by the sudden attack but was able to unsheathe his sword and block the attack in time. Alan countered with a horizontal slash but his enemy ducked under it. Alan made distance and put his defense up.

"I don't know why you attacked but you better turn around and get the fuck out of here. Try something like that again and I won't hold back."

"Good." his foe responded "None of these bandits put up a real fight anyway."

"You killed them by yourself?"

The man didn't respond. Instead he threw a dagger at Alan's forehead. Alan blocked the dagger and it flew into the air. As it came down the man dashed forward and caught it with his off hand. He unleashed a flurry of attacks using both hands. Alan was able to defend himself but there was no room for him to counter the attacks. One slip up and he would be wide open.

"_I've only got one option."_

Alan used Assassin's Rush to dodge the next attack and got behind his opponent. Alan used a horizontal slash and aimed for his attackers neck.

"_It's over."_

Just as the blade was about to make contact, the man ducked under the strike and twisted his body around on one hand to deliver a low kick at Alan's feet. Alan stumbled backwards.

"_It's like he knew exactly what my next move was. How the hell did he do that?"_

Alan used assassin's rush once more to get behind his foe. He focused his will and unleashed a lightning spell.

"_Even my Assassin's Rush can't dodge lightning at this range."_

Just before the lightning hit, the man disappeared and reappeared in an instant to the right.

"_How could he have dodged?! That spell was at pointblank_ _range_!"

Alan used Rush to try and get behind for the same attack but when he reappeared at his destination, his opponent was nowhere to be seen.

"_Where the hell did he go."_

"You're slow." Alan heard from behind him.

Alan jumped away and spun to face his foe.

"How did you know where I was going to go?"

"I didn't. I simply saw where you were going to go and got their faster."

"That's impossible. I can go from one place to another in an instant. No one could track movements that fast."

"Your not as fast as you think you are." Just then blood shot out from Alan's shoulder as it was cut open. But he didn't see his opponent move at all. "You can't even see my attacks when I use Assassin's Rush."

"I've never met anyone that can move that fast. It has to be some sort of trick." Alan gripped his shoulder to try and stop the bleeding.

"A trick? I am not even using half my top speed. Your were dead the second this fight started."

Before Alan could say anything he felt a sharp pain in his gut. He looked down and saw his opponents blade piercing him and the man was only inches from him. He removed the sword and pushed Alan to the ground. "Pathetic." was all he said. Pain went all throughout Alan's body but he slowly began to go numb.

"_Am I dying?" _He thought. _"I can't die. I still need to find Theresa."_

Alan tried to stand, but the man used force push on him and Alan flew half way across the camp and landed ruffly on the ground. Everything began to fade away for Alan.

"_I'm sorry Theresa."_


End file.
